[FTL] Lagrange-Drive

[NeonSturm]

FullMetalFox gave me this idea, ty.
Lagrange-Points.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrangian_point#/media/File:Lagrangian_points_equipotential.jpg

Sorry for the Tic-Tac ad
Just imagine you could slip from L-point to L-point,

preserving speed while eliminating your mass by shifting it into a parallel dimension,
thus eliminating the light-speed-limit and most of the inertia.​

But completely without inertia, you would be sucked right into the next object.

You would be nothing more than a "space-particle" following solely the movement of space-time which we perceive as gravitation.​

If the effect ends, you are drawn back into normal space and limited by the speed of light.

Afterwards, you have the very same potential energy reduced to (speed of light / your speed)%,
afterwards the (linear->exponential) inertial energy rule gets applied
(which will quickly slow you down as you lost most of your speed to the light-limit)​

If you are still not happy with this suggestion,
it would be an unique FTL-method unlike to any other games - consider this!

Thought about that, but abandoned the idea of an Autopilot or Route Planer for the sake of simplicity and travel time, now i base my work on the idea of using L-Points as simple entry and exit points, meaning that you could use any L-Point as exit as long as its in range of your drives max range, that would also increase the importance of large jump drives beyond mearly a short charge time.

This would reduce the points in a system where enemies are able to appear, thus giving these sectors a high defensive value (choke-points)

But I would not go so far to limit entry/exit points to there, just so far as to limit the available routes to space equal or lower in "height" (height as in the picture showing the langrange points).

 

[aRottenKomquat]

Is this like the BattleTech K-F drive, where FTL jumps can only start from or target areas where the system's gravity fields all more-or-less cancel out?

 

[FullMetalFox]

Actually, there is a game series, and some books, that uses Lagrangian Points for hyperspace travel, played the first game as a kid, and that game is what got me interested in the actual physics of our universe, and thus is the inspiration for my idea. Havnt seen so well designed ways of intersystem and interstellar travel in any other game so far, i was going to, nah still will, mention this and explain how this worked as gameplay of I-War in my thread.

The game series is called I-War, Independence War (1 and 2), everybody who loves space games and has at least a little physics nerd in them, has to have play those games in my opinion.

So sadly i have to say, no, it isnt a unique idea and i cant take credit for it, some scientist came up with it, and some authors and the creators of I-War expanded on it. But, it is the best idea for interstellar travel ive ever seen, so simple, yet so much possibilities to expand on.

Skil to 9:26 to see what L-Point Capsule Space Jumps looked like in those games.

 

[NeonSturm]

Is this like the BattleTech K-F drive, where FTL jumps can only start from or target areas where the system's gravity fields all more-or-less cancel out?

The game series is called I-War, Independence War (1 and 2), everybody who loves space games and has at least a little physics nerd in them, has to have play those games in my opinion.

Never heard of either of them or any book which uses this kind of FTL.
I just read a book where they parked a remove-point gravity-direction-changing satellite on L5, (Movie)Andromeda which can't use their FTL while near gravitational pull and StarGate where their first hyperspace mission (testing the ship) kicked them out after passing an extreme gravitational source, burning their capacitor ship-wide unique in size.

 

[jayman38]

Is this like the BattleTech K-F drive, where FTL jumps can only start from or target areas where the system's gravity fields all more-or-less cancel out?

To clarify:
Lagrange points are where different gravity fields are present, but cancel each other out. Battletech K-F drives had the most stability and predictability when used at the star system's absolute Nadir and Zenith points (directly below and directly above the star in relation to the average orbital plane at a distance where the gravitational effect of the star is negligible.) Battletech ships could use their K-F drives anywhere, but closer in gravity wells would create unpredictability and gravity-related shifts in exit positions, while farther away would reduce the ability of the ship's solar sail to collect solar energy for charging the drive.

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Kearny-Fuchida_Drive

 

[FullMetalFox]

The first I-War Game struggled in Wing Commander: Prophecy's shadow, both games released in the same year and month, with WCP receiving much more advertisement, print media coverage and overall popularity due to the already existing fanbase, so I-War was something only a few people picked up, later the game boomed, gathering a by no means small fanbase, especially in germany and the united kingdom. I-War 2 suffered a similar fate, low media coverage, nearly no advertisement from the publisher, and a rushed release resulting in a somewhat buggy first experience, later the publisher even closed the games support forums.

So im not suprised that you never heard of them.

 

[Valiant70]

FullMetalFox gave me this idea, ty.
Lagrange-Points.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrangian_point#/media/File:Lagrangian_points_equipotential.jpg

Sorry for the Tic-Tac ad
Just imagine you could slip from L-point to L-point,

preserving speed while eliminating your mass by shifting it into a parallel dimension,
thus eliminating the light-speed-limit and most of the inertia.​

But completely without inertia, you would be sucked right into the next object.

You would be nothing more than a "space-particle" following solely the movement of space-time which we perceive as gravitation.​

If the effect ends, you are drawn back into normal space and limited by the speed of light.

Afterwards, you have the very same potential energy reduced to (speed of light / your speed)%,
afterwards the (linear->exponential) inertial energy rule gets applied
(which will quickly slow you down as you lost most of your speed to the light-limit)​

If you are still not happy with this suggestion,
it would be an unique FTL-method unlike to any other games - consider this!


This would reduce the points in a system where enemies are able to appear, thus giving these sectors a high defensive value (choke-points)

But I would not go so far to limit entry/exit points to there, just so far as to limit the available routes to space equal or lower in "height" (height as in the picture showing the langrange points).

Uh, how would this operate any differently from our jump drives? It would make sense to assume jump drives work this way.

 

[Megacrafter127]

Uh, how would this operate any differently from our jump drives? It would make sense to assume jump drives work this way.

I think he is referring to have it only be able to transport one to a specific set of sectors, and maybe have it only work in special sectors? I am unsure about the latter.

 

[NeonSturm]

There will be "lanes" between Lagrange points.

You can only travel there. Start Lagrange-Drive anywhere else and you will be dragged into a nearby one.

Gates are artificial Lagrange points.
There can be no long lane crossing a plane which has at least 2 shorter lanes between 3 points.
​

You can choose to drop out or enter anywhere you want, but only along this lane.

Also imagine it being a roller-coaster rail - you may roll forward and backward, every-time losing a little bit of jump-distance.
You start at low speed at a point on this rail when you start getting FTL.
​

From a lore-technically point, lets say that the higher the G-forces at a point you traverse, the more FTL-time is lost.

Gates, Lagrange Points and Lagrange-Drives all provide some FTL-time (most of it if combined at one point in space-time)
If a lane is too expensive, you can't use it.​